"What is it?" Xu Mu walked up to the crowd and asked with a smile.
The people exchanged glances, then somewhat awkwardly asked, "You saw what happened just now. We just wanted to ask what your thoughts are."
"My thoughts... In short, Ye Palace must be eliminated. But even if I can't think of another way to take Sky Peak, I won't let my brothers go up as cannon fodder," Xu Mu said with a smile.
"As expected, you're loyal," the others cupped their hands towards Xu Mu and continued, "Actually, we called you over because we wanted to hear your opinion."
"If you ultimately decide not to cooperate with Jiang Taixu, then none of us will cooperate either. But if you choose to cooperate, we can't do anything about it, as our alliance has already been broken."
The captains of the numerous teams all wore bitter expressions. Their teams originally had three to five hundred elites, but due to endless battles and the raids by Ye Palace and others, their numbers had repeatedly decreased. In the end, each team was left with less than a hundred people.
This number was even less than some of the teams below Sky Peak, but fortunately, their overall strength was superior. Recently, they had formed an alliance, which allowed them to hold their ground.
However, even with this, they were no match for Jiang Taixu. In terms of numbers and strength, he crushed them, and his conditions seemed impossible to refuse.
"My choice is not yet decided, but I can confirm one thing: no matter what offensive methods we employ tonight, we will definitely use all of you. Xu Mu said, looking at everyone with a serious expression. "At that time, please all be present."
"If I can find a way, I will definitely not let my brothers rush to the front lines to die. If cannon fodder is unavoidable, I, Mu Xu, will be at the forefront!"
Xu Mu's expression was solemn, and the esper leaders all cupped their hands in salute.
"Since that's the case, then there's nothing more to say. We're all in the same boat."
"The outcome depends entirely on tonight!"
...
Spirit Gathering Sacred Land.
The summit of Sky Peak. The stars were brilliant at night.
"How long can we still enjoy such beautiful scenery?" On the summit, surrounded by swirling clouds, a cultivator sat by the cliff, gazing at the starry sky and sighing with a smile.
Here, they could gain a massive amount of points without fighting. Moreover, the scenery was pleasant, and food and sleep were worry-free. It was more like a vacation than a competition!
"Less than two more days."
Hearing his words, a young man with sharp eyebrows, clad in a dark green robe, replied with a faint smile from Sky Peak.
"Less than two days? That means the competition will be over. Jiang Taixu seems to have found many helpers to prepare for an attack. Are you so confident you can defend it?" The cultivator by the cliff asked in surprise, turning around while holding his wine gourd.
Although he didn't think Jiang Taixu himself was that strong, he had to admit that the latter currently held the advantage because their numbers were simply too large, numbering in the thousands.
And the total number of people on their peak was only five hundred. A nearly tenfold difference. If a battle were to break out, it would be obvious which side had the advantage.
"Defend?" The young man with the broken eyebrow shook his head and looked down at the surrounding peaks, replying calmly, "I've never thought about defending. I'm just using this method to lure them into a trap."
The youth by the cliff clicked his tongue and said, "You're quite confident. But speaking of which, since you're confident you can win, why don't we take the initiative to attack while Jiang Taixu is not ready? Wouldn't that increase our chances of winning?"
The young man with the broken eyebrow shook his head, a hint of mockery appearing on his chiseled face, "Because no matter how well they prepare, I will win."
"And haven't you thought about it? If we rashly charge down to ambush them, Jiang Taixu might very well escape. Furthermore, the identity of the mysterious person allied with him is still unknown. I need to use this incident to find out who the potential enemies of my Ye family are."
Upon hearing this, the youth by the cliff shrugged, "Alright, you're really confident."
"But I'm very curious, where does your confidence come from? Could it be... you've actually broken through to the third stage?"
Ye Palace heard this, turned to look at Qi Ye, and smiled meaningfully, then said, "Qi Ye, this is not something you should be concerned about."
"You just need to know that with my current strength, I can win against anyone the Jiang family sends."
Qi Ye stood up from the cliff, brushed the dust off his clothes, and playfully asked, "What about Jiang Zheye? That kid is a genius specifically trained by the Jiang family to counter your Ye clan. If you meet him, would you still dare to say you can win?"
Upon hearing the name, Ye Palace's calm expression finally changed, but only for an instant.
"Jiang Zheye is stronger than Jiang Taixu and would be a formidable opponent. I would like to have a battle with him, but unfortunately, he is not in this preliminary competition."
Qi Ye nodded, "That's true. Jiang Zheye is in the far north, still diligently cultivating to comprehend the Dao. He will only return during the Myriad Races Alliance. It's impossible for him to appear at this time."
"However, there is another person in the Jiang family. I encountered him in the first round, and his strength is also very strong. I think his name is Mu Xu," Qi Ye said, his brow furrowing slowly. "You might need to pay attention to this person. Back then, I surrendered to save energy as I intended to assassinate Jiang Taixu, so I didn't engage him in a prolonged fight."
"I originally thought he was just a talented individual with decent strength, but I didn't expect him to take down your three ghost generals afterward. His strength is probably not much weaker than Jiang Taixu's. He's likely also sent by the Jiang family to assassinate you."
Ye Palace nodded faintly upon hearing this.
"Mu Xu? I remembered this name as soon as Dao Xuan died, because he absorbed the points that rightfully belonged to me."
"But it doesn't matter. If he dares to come tonight, no matter how strong he is, I will definitely make him return every single point he has taken!"
...
Sky Peak, midnight.
The stars gradually disappeared into the clouds, and the climate of the Spirit Gathering Sacred Land began to change. The air became denser, making it very suitable for cultivators to hover in the air.
Jiang Taixu, leading his allied forces, had been waiting for a long time. Sensing this change, he immediately opened his eyes, stood up from his chair, and grandly led everyone out of his territory.
He had already informed all parties of the assembly points beforehand. So, after he led his people out, the upper part of Sky Peak was already teeming with people.
Xu Mu's team was among them.
Jiang Taixu looked at everything with a gratified smile and said, "Everyone, thank you for believing in me, Jiang."
"Time is limited, please proceed with the charge in the predetermined order. Victory will surely be ours!"
He imagined that after saying this, there would be thunderous applause and shouts of morale from everyone.
However, Jiang Taixu suddenly realized that apart from his subordinates, not a single person from the allied teams he had negotiated with during the day responded to him.
Thus, he knew something had changed.
Jiang Taixu's face turned grim, "Everyone, what do you mean?"
No one answered.
Jiang Taixu's expression changed again, and he turned his gaze to a thin young man, sternly asking, "An Jia, what do you mean!"
"I... I don't mean anything. It's just that Alliance Leader Mu Xu promised us that there's a better way, and we don't have to be cannon fodder," the cultivator singled out by Jiang Taixu replied timidly.
Jiang Taixu glanced at Xu Mu, then, suppressing his anger, looked at the others and asked, "You all too?"
"Yes," everyone nodded.
"Good, very good, excellent."
Jiang Taixu was furious, his anger almost uncontrollable. He turned to Xu Mu, gritted his teeth, and asked, "So, you are Mu Xu."
"Considering you are from my Jiang family and have killed Ye Palace's subordinates, I will give you a chance to explain."
"There's nothing to explain. It's just that they don't have to be cannon fodder anymore," Xu Mu met Jiang Taixu's gaze and said calmly, "I've investigated thoroughly. There are less than five hundred people on the peak, and we have nearly four thousand."
"With such a huge disparity in strength, I don't understand why you still need a vanguard force as cannon fodder. Can't we just surround them from all sides?"
Jiang Taixu's face was grim, and he roared angrily, "Idiot, of course not! You underestimate Ye Palace too much!"
"He managed to occupy Sky Peak with less than five hundred people. While preemptive action is one aspect, on the other hand, that is the combined army of the Ye clan and the Qi clan. Do you think those five hundred people are comparable to the five hundred people in your team?"
"Even if they can't win, they can stall for some time," Xu Mu said calmly, looking at Jiang Taixu. "Once Ye Palace is eliminated, his subordinates will naturally fall apart."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Taixu felt like he was about to explode.
"Eliminate Ye Palace, eliminate Ye Palace?"
"If Ye Palace were that easy to eliminate, what would we be preparing for!"
"What on earth is wrong with your brain!"